In contrast, Sony’s share has shrunk through 19% to 5% facing growing competition.

The firm noted which the $250 color version in the Nook introduced last fall is a key to fueling sales on the device, as well as Barnes & Noble beefing up in-store retail support for your Nook and expanding the group its eBookstore to couple of million titles.

A separate Digitimes report yesterday cited unnamed methods stating that 3 million color Nooks have hit stores during the past year. They also estimated the tablet-like Nook Color got sales of 600, 000 to 700, 000 per month within January and February.

Barnes & Noble explained it plans to replace the Nook with supplemental apps, email, an enhanced browser and also Adobe’s Flash. It will also discuss more content for young people. Overall, IMS Research expects e-reader shipments to increase slightly to 5. 2 million units before lifting steam in the following half of 2011 due to lower prices and larger availability of features, such as touchscreens in addition to color.

Although higher-priced, tablet sales have continued to outpace those of e-readers. In the fourth fraction, tablet sales more than doubled from your previous quarter to in search of. 4 million units, stemming from strong iPad holiday break sales and significant sell-in through the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab. Nearly 15 million iPads were sold this past year.

IMS predicts tablet expansion of 242% to 58 trillion units overall in 2011. That total would are the reason for nearly one-quarter (23%) in the portable PC market, up from 8% completely. Despite a flood of new devices from Samsung, Motorola, Research in Motion while others, Apple is expected not to lose a 75% share on the tablet market in this holiday season based on its first-mover advantage and other factors.

The e-reader market just got a large jolt right on that eve of Apple’s relieve of its free apple company iphone iOS 4 Firmware improve. First, Barnes & Noble reduced the price tag for their Nook 3G e-reader to just $199 plus announced the launch on the cheaper Nook WiFi edition. This new Nook WiFi-only design will retail for simply just $149. 00 and is available these days for pre-order with delivery time in a few days. Amazon responded with similar price-reduction act and as well announced that their Kindle 6-Inch Book Reader will now simply sell for under $190. Note that the Kindle is now $ 10 cheaper and it has native Wifi and 3G support that makes it a better buy as opposed to Nook 3G, unless of course, Barnes & Noble makes another price-cut for it to get at the same $189 cost.

Amazon took $70 off on the Kindle 6-Inch Ebook Reader With Global WirelessThe Nook and Kindle will be the best-selling e-readers on the planet but the release in the iPad last April offers eaten up sales. It does not feel as “nice” as being a Kindle. It seems more “clunky” (though nothing can beat as clunky as Sony’s EReader).

Bottom line – as they quite simply have identical prices, get a Kindle. Nook is not all set for market yet.